It Flows Ever On
by Heart-of-the-Phoenix
Summary: It has been many years since Henry Stein disappeared into the halls of the Studios. Over the years, it has become a location sought out by aspiring urbex explorers. Those who descend beyond the first floor however have never returned, and for some reason, the authorities close each and every case without investigation. The question remains, what lies hidden beneath the Studios...?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Once, Joey Drew's Studios were a bastion of creativity. Cartoons that captured the love of thousands, if not millions, were created within these halls. The little demon himself, with his friends the wolf and angel, endeared themselves into the minds of people of all ages. However, one day, the dream came to an end.

Financial troubles grew within the Studios. Reports spoke of how Joey Drew had been growing erratic, leaving tensions to grow. In the end, the Studios were forced to shut down, leaving all in a state of disarray. With the end of an era, the eyes of those people moved to the future; memories of the past becoming just that. Memories.

For many years, few people ever heard the name of Joey Drew. He, as well as most of his staff, stayed out of the light of the public eye. Rumours speculated that perhaps he left the country, his staff dispersing, as he tried to avoid the shame of his failure. Perhaps that erratic state of his had finally caused him to snap - a cover up having been formed to keep the light off of the former creator.

After many years, the name of Joey Drew returned to the public light. One evening, the police caught a middle aged man who was later identified as Henry Stein, the co-creator of the Bendy cartoons, entering the ancient studios. No-one learnt of his fate, as he never returned. When police later investigated, they saw an abnormal amount of ink staining the walls and floor - a gaping hole that nearly claimed another victim right in front of the door.

Upon further investigation, the police found an odd machine sitting in a large, back room. They had no indication as to what it was - the rusted chains holding it above a deep, deep 'chasm', as they later described it. They saw disturbing indications of Joey Drew's potential madness, such as a Borris the Wolf with his chest split open, the ribs splayed as if someone ripped out his heart.

The one thing they never did however was venture deeper into the Studios. No-one thought to suggest it, as if the very thought was not even possible. In the official report, they claimed the excuse of the dangerous conditions. The building was in no condition to be explored, else they might risk the accidental deaths of those who sought to explore.

They marked the building as condemned. Henry Stein was presumed deceased - the result of an accidental fall through the rotted they never touched the building again. They never thought to tear the building down. They simply locked the building up and closed the case.

Over the years, many have sought to explore this ruined landmark for themselves. The first floor, many urbex professionals have marked as safe, although more than a little bit disturbing. Those who wandered further down into the Studios never returned, the authorities for some reason never look further into the case when they learnt _where_ the disappearances took place. With each mission person, the Joey Drew Studios grew in notoriety. Locals feared it and tourists and urbex professionals sought it out, leading to another disappearance or two every few years. Still, action was never taken.

The question rang in the thoughts of many, even if they dare not speak it aloud. What lie beneath the first floor?


	2. Chapter I

**Chapter I**

 _October 27th, 2018 - 8:19 PM_

Mai Daviau cautiously approached the ancient building. It was pretty clear why the authorities had condemned the building, and unfortunately for her, it was even more clear why her friends thought it'd be a blast to explore. Not that she was scared of some old building of course, just cautious.

A girl from her dormitories, Kyra Mital, led the expedition, alongside Jack Bournes, Michael Calhoun, herself, and Sara Herrmann. The five of them had planned this little 'adventure' for months - and what better time, according to Kyra, to do this than just before Halloween? Surely those stories of the people disappearing were just that - stories. Right?

As they got closer and closer to the ancient building, Mai wasn't so sure. This place looked as if even a sudden gust of wind could knock the entire studios down to its foundation! Rot was more than obvious, and some substance had stained the rocks and wood black around the entrance. Some of it was even oozing out between the cracks of the wood. Was it really safe to enter?

Unfortunately for her, she had known Michael for years, and she knew all too well about his crush on Kyra. If she wasn't there to help keep her friend grounded, he'd probably try and do some idiotic stunt to impress Kyra and get himself killed; in Kyra's case, once she had her mind set on something, Mai knew all too well that all the convincing in the world would amount to nothing. So Mai pressed on, sighing quietly under her breath and watching the surroundings with an air of caution.

If she wasn't already having doubts, the moment Kyra opened the door, the doubts hit her like a freight train. The entire wall was stained black, as were the floorboards. Broken cutouts and even an old projector sat further back in the room. But what frightened her the most was right in front of her - a gaping hole where the wood gave out on some poor soul.

As if answering her unasked question, Sara walked over to the edge of the hole and glanced down. "Wow, that's deep. I can't even see the bottom!"

"Get back from the edge before _you_ take a one-way trip, Sara!" Jack called, his own voice tinged with a level of concern. At least Mai wasn't the only one obviously concerned about this place.

Starting over herself, Kyra strode to the hole - her expression showing her curiosity. One by one, the other young adults followed Kyra cautiously. Moments later, a loud creak sounded from the door behind them. Whipping around, Mai turned to see what was happening.

By the time she did so, she noticed Jack already rushing to the door. Before he could reach it however, they all heard a loud click. Jack swore loudly as he tried to open the door, but even from her spot, Mai could tell that the doorknob wasn't so much as budging.

"Think we can make it over this hole?" Sara asked, an edge of fear rising in her tone. "It's gotta just be the old building - maybe there's some window or something we can break?"

Michael frowned as he looked at the gaping hole. If the situation wasn't as fear inducing, Mai might have made some joke about seeing the gears working in his head. "We'd have to jump," Michael muttered, his own confidence more than waning. "No way we can edge our way around it without the wood giving out on us. But I don't know how stable the wood is on the other side, either."

"Well," Kyra spoke up, tilting her head slightly as she mentally measured the distance. "One way to find out. I dragged you all into this, so I'll test it first." Before anyone could object, Kyra took a couple steps back before taking off at a sprint - jumping at the last moment and landing with a quiet thud on the other side.

Standing as she regained her balance, Kyra called back with a triumphant grin. "Made it! Seems stable enough, but I'm going to take a couple step back to avoid the extra weight on the planks."

Despite some grumbles about the situation from the group, one by one they made their way across the hole. Sara jumped next, followed by Jack. Michael followed, with Mai making the jump last. Taking a few steps back for her running jump, Mai could only yelp in surprise as the wooden planks gave out beneath her as she took her jump. Throwing her jump off balance, she flew short, her hands grasping at the edge of the planks overhanging the hole.

"Mai!" Michael yelled in surprise as he rushed over to help. Dropping to a kneel, he reached his hands past the overhang, gripping onto her as he tried to pull her back up. With the added weight from Michael on the overhang, the planks creaked dangerously and, before anyone could react, snapped. Mai could only hear the shouts from her friends as she and Michael fell into the depths of the studio. Within moments, she hit the ground with a sickening thud as darkness claimed her vision.


	3. Chapter II

**Chapter II**

 _October 27th, 2018 - 8:52 PM_

Voices whispered to Mai. All around her, she saw only a tunnel of different shades of Darkness. What at first was a dot of Light at the end grew as it enveloped her. With a sudden jolt, Mai awoke from the dream to find herself already standing. What happened?

Realisation flooded into her mind as the memories rushed back. First fear came as she worried about her friends above, and where Michael could have gone, but confusion came swiftly after. How was she standing? Mai had fallen down a height she couldn't even begin to gauge. She should have had broken bones at best, and standing should have been an impossibility. What happened?

Glancing around, Mai looked up to realise something even stranger. There was no hole above her - there was absolutely no trace of where she had fallen. She was alone, in a small room. Thankfully the environment seemed free from the rot that plagued the upper levels. Lining the wall were shelves hosting something akin to the Bacon Soup from the old cartoons, there was a small table and a couple chairs sitting not too far away from her, and an old statue in the corner of the room. The statue looked as if it was Bendy, made out of some white marble. To say it looked creepy was an understatement.

Continuing her sweep of the room, Mai noticed an axe that was more than a bit out of place from the rest of the room, sitting against the frame of the open doorway opposite from the Bendy statue. Why would there be an axe here of all places?

Silently, she strode towards the open door. It was an odd feeling to walk, as if she was striding through an ocean of gel. With each step, the feeling slowly dissipated, and by the time she reached the doorway, it was only a faint pressure she felt as she walked. Before she could leave the room however, she stopped and found herself reaching for the axe, despite her confusion as to why. It just felt… necessary?

Sighing quietly, she slowly stepped out of the room, axe in hand. The environment was silent of all save her footsteps. A few steps out of the room, and she saw something odd scrawled across the wall opposite to her. As if written in black ink, the phrase 'He was supposed to save us!' was crudely drawn on the wooden surface. Beneath it, in smaller print, Mai noticed another phrase. 'The Demon still walks. Hide!'

Feeling more than a bit creeped out, Mai debated calling out to her friends. What if this was some sort of prank? It had to be, right? There was no such thing as demons, and if she was so unharmed, the fall must have been staged. It had to be!

Despite her suspicions, she remained silent. What if it was real? What if there was something about this place - something that was the reason as to why so many people who explored these studios never returned? And what if it was here, stalking the halls? Calling out would be a death sentence.

For what felt like hours, she continued on in silence, wandering the maze of halls. Every so often, she would see another phrase scrawled in a similar fashion on the walls, but eventually she stopped reading. What good would it do? All it did was creep her out.

As the hours passed, exhaustion started to creep its way upon her. Whilst considering her options, she heard a near silent click before feeling something sharp resting upon the back of her neck. "Drop the axe." A quiet voice demanded; her tone cautious, but not outright hostile. "Drop the axe, and turn around slowly."

Mai hesitated slightly, but complied. With her exhaustion, it was unlikely she could outrun whoever was behind her, and if she tried to attack, she had no doubt this mysterious woman could kill her before Mai could so much as turn around. No, the fact that she wasn't outright attacking meant that this person could be reasoned with. She hoped.

Dropping the axe, Mai slowly raised her hands and turned around to face the person. With the blade now set just below her throat, she was met with the gaze of a figure about her height. The figure looked… odd - as if she was not entirely real. Her skin looked like parchment paper, her black hair tied into a ponytail. Twin, broken horns are evident at the top of her forehead, with something resembling a headband pulled back just behind the horns. Donning a black and brown attire, Mai could notice a few pouches, a sheath for her weapon, and a coil of rope slung across her torso akin to the style of a bandolier.

Caution was etched on the figure's face as she observed Mai, a weary frown being evident. "Hm. You're like him."

It was Mai's turn to frown. "Him? Him who?" Impatience was starting to slip past her exhaustion. Where was she? What was going on? She had so many questions, and all she had to go off them so far were odd scribbles on the wall!

Before the figure could answer, a cold air washed over the two women as a dark ooze started the seep from the cracks in the walls. Concern quickly flashed over the figure's face and was soon replaced with fear. It sounded as if Mai's heart was beating in her ears as the figure quickly spoke. "It's not safe here. Be quiet and come with me - quickly!"

Mai couldn't find it in herself to protest, her own fear rising as the sound of the beating heart grew ever louder - as the dark ooze grew more and more intense. Mai did the only thing she could manage - she followed without another word.


	4. Chapter III

**Chapter III**

 _October 28th, 2018 - 3:39 AM_

The two didn't stop moving for quite some time. Mai noticed they'd zig-zag through corridors and halls at seemingly random. Despite her growing exhaustion, she did her best to follow without complaint. Part of her still thought this might be some sort of prank, part of her _hoped_ it was. But the longer the she spent in the depths, the more that hope had begun to dim.

Eventually, the figure and Mai made their way to a small room. This room was devoid of statues, but had a table and two chairs akin to that which Mai saw in the earlier room. Shelves of the soup lined one wall, and one bed was pressed against the neighbouring wall to its right.

Upon the bed was a still figure that, if Mai had any doubts this was simply a prank, evaporated those thoughts nearly instantly. The figure looked exactly like the old cartoon of Boris the Wolf. It was evident this wasn't just a costume either. At once, it looked too real, yet not real enough in some bazaar combination. The Boris looked asleep or unconscious - one hand missing and replaced with a mechanical substitute.

The Boris didn't register either Mai or her captor - rescuer? - as they approached. He was as still as death, and Mai noticed more than a trace of sorrow on the woman's features as she saw his state. With a resigned sigh, she moved to sit at the table, motioning Mai to take a seat herself.

"Who are you?" the woman asked, watching Mai's reactions carefully as she moved to take her seat. "And what are you doing here?"

Mai frowned slightly to that. "I'm Mai Daviau. I'm a student at the local college. Some of my classmates and I thought it could be fun to explore the local abandoned studios as a 'wonderful Halloween adventure'. We didn't-"

"There are more of you?" the woman cut Mai off, her frown deepening. "This could be trouble. _He_ grows in strength with belief and fear. The more people who are here, the more dangerous things can become."

Mai swore under her breath. "Who is 'He'? Who are you? What's even going on here?"

The woman fell silent for a few moments, as if she were thinking of the right words. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet, as if there was a hint of fear melded into her tone. "My name - I do not remember. But people have been calling me Alice. As for who He is? Have you seen the warnings painted upon the walls, speaking of the Demon?"

With a single nod from Mai, Alice continued with a sigh. "The Ink Demon is one we all fear in these depths. We know little about him, but he is the most dangerous thing in these studios. He kills at random, dragging the corpses of those he kills into the walls. What he does with them, we don't know. But that monster has taken much.

"As for what is going on in these halls? I know only what I have seen, but it has been the only life I can remember. The Ink Demon hunts, and we try to survive. We hide, we try to gather supplies, and we just do our best to live in what safety we can find. I do not know what was the cause of it. I don't even know how any of us have come to be. One minute we were thoughts, and the next we were thrust into this existence."

Mai paused slightly, taking the information in. When she spoke next, her tone was more than a bit shocked. "What? Are you saying you are the cartoons come to life?"

"Maybe?" Alice sighed, uncertainty lacing her tone. "I've heard the recordings. I know about the existence of the cartoons. I know of Alice Angel, Boris the Wolf, and Bendy. I know of the Butcher Gang. I know of them all, but I do not know _what_ has happened. It is as much of a mystery to me as it is to you, in that regard."

Mai fell silent once more. Alice didn't seem like she was lying, but that knowledge - or lack thereof - did anything but help. She still knew next to nothing about what was happening to her or her friends. With a twinge of guilt and fear, she realised she didn't even know what had happened to her friends.

In an attempt to take her mind off of the fear, she glanced to the unconscious Boris. "Who is he?" Almost as an afterthought, she quickly added on, "If you don't mind my asking."

It was Alice's turn to fall silent for a brief moment. With a sigh, she responded, a mix of happiness and weariness alike to what Mai assumed were memories. "Tom was the first person I met in these halls. He was my first friend, my first partner in these depths. We first met when he stopped me from being reclaimed by the ink, and we had been together ever since.

"Some years ago, a man named Henry appeared. We had saved him from meeting his demise at the hands of another Alice, one that was malformed and corrupt. Although there was a lack of trust between us and him at first, we eventually worked as one. The three of us traveled to the heart of these depths, to defeat the Ink Demon once and for all.

"But things didn't go as planned. We could not join Henry. To travel through the ink blocking our path would have been to die and be reclaimed by the ink once more. There was no way to avoid it, and he was forced to go alone. And so we waited. And waited. He never returned.

"At least not in that form. Eventually, we saw a perfect replica of Bendy appear. He wandered the halls, traversing them aimlessly. It was as if he was reliving past events, as if he was reliving Henry's life.

"We knew then who Bendy was. It wasn't long after that the Ink Demon made his return once more. For days, _He_ wandered the halls, nearly as aimlessly. But as all things much, the period of safety soon came to an end. The Ink Demon would not hurt Henry, but the rest of us were not exempt to his hunt."

Alice paused, breaking off in her story as she glanced to the unconscious Tom, sorrow coating her features. "It was only a matter of time before one of us was caught. I stopped the Ink Demon from taking Tom away after the fight, but Tom hasn't woken up since. I brought him here, to safety, in hopes he will one day awaken."

Mai couldn't help but feel sorry for Alice. She knew how much loss like that could affect someone. After her elder brother was killed four years ago, she could empathise with the depression the thoughts of losing someone close to you could bring. "I'm sorry, Alice…" It wasn't much at all, but they were the only words she could offer right now.

The words seemed to bring a slight smile to her features at least, as Alice turned her attention back to Mai. "Thank you." After a slight pause, Alice moved to stand. "Come on, Mai. You look exhausted. We have another cot in the back. Right now, you should get some rest. We'll talk more in the morning, and figure out if there's anything we can do for your friends."

Relief flooded Mai at the thought of finally being able to rest, as well as to the thought of helping her friends. Even if her friends on the first flood managed to escape without any issues, Michael was still lost somewhere in the depths below. She just had to find her friend. And maybe she could help her new friend in the process.


	5. Chapter IV

**Chapter IV**

 _October 28th, 2018 - 10:49 AM_

Mai Daviau ran, hoping beyond hope to avoid him. She ducked, throwing herself in a slide under some planks of wood that half-way blocked the doorway. But she could still hear the heartbeat.

Ink oozed from the cracks in the walls as she forced herself onward, weaving through corridor after corridor. Still, he followed. Still, he hunted. What would happen if she was caught? Would she just become another soul lost to the ink? She couldn't-

Mai fell as the floorboards snapped underneath her, letting her fall deeper and deeper into the heart of the studios. Landing with a sickening thud, she managed to retain consciousness this time. Picking herself up with a quiet grunt, she glanced around, looking for an escape.

Noticing a small door on the left-hand side of the room, she ran for it. Swinging it open with a bang, she jumped back in surprise to see him there, waiting for her. The ink slapped against the ground as he walked, leaving dark prints where the demon stood. Step by step, he took one step in advance for every step Mai took in retreat, that monstrous grin never leaving his features.

The gloved hand reached for Mai, closing the distance between the two of them in but a fraction of a second. He picked her up in a chokehold before she could even react. Darkness creeped into her vision as Mai tried like crazy to fight back, kicking at the demon and punching at an arm that wouldn't so much as budge. As darkness claimed her entirely, Mai Daviau awoke with a start.

Breathing heavily, Mai looked around, terror from the nightmare still coating her expression. Realisation slowly seeped in as she realised she hadn't actually been running from the Ink Demon, and her own beating heart relaxed ever so slightly. Some of the fear remained however, as she realised the 'adventure' into the studios had not been part of the nightmare.

She was still in the room of Alice gave her, resting upon the cot. But she was alone, at the very least. Alone, and able to collect her thoughts. That dream felt so real for the time it hit her. Worry and guilt hit her as she realised that Michael might be wandering and hiding from the demonic beast at this very moment. Where was he?

WIth a quiet sigh, Mai could only hope her childhood friend was alive and safe. Even if it was only a nightmare, seeing that beast was enough to give her nightmares for the rest of her life, no matter how long it may be. Shrugging it off, she moved to stand. If she was going to see her friend safe, sitting around a worrying about it wouldn't do any good.

Slipping off the cot, she glanced around for some empty space to proceed with her usual morning stretches and exercises. She always found it to be the easiest way to really wake up in the morning, and right now, she needed to be in top form. After completing some basic stretches, she dropped into doing a few counts of push-ups. As she started, the door opened slowly.

"Are you alright…?" came Alice's voice in a slow and semi-confused tone.

Between push-ups, Mai responded in a slower than normal tone of her own. "Yeah. I'm fine. I just wake up best with exercise, and I figure I'm going to need to be ready for today anyway."

There was silence for a moment. After a few moments, Alice tried to keep her tone neutral, but the hints of sorrow and regret still managed to make their way to the surface. "I see. I remember… No, never mind. I'll be out here when you're ready." Without waiting a moment to hear Mai's response, Alice turned and left the room in silence.

Within a few more moments, Mai followed the woman out and back into the main chamber. Tom was still unconscious on the bed. Alice stood beside the bed, concern and worry lining her features. Sighing quietly, Mai approached slowly, dipping her head in greetings with a quiet grunt.

Alice turned, nodding once in turn before starting to the table again and motioning Mai to take a seat. "You said you came with a group. How many?"

"Five, including myself," Mai moved to take a seat as instructed. "When we came into the studios, the door closed behind us and wouldn't budge. We tried to cross the gaping hole at the entrance to find some window to break. Everyone made it across but me, as the floorboards snapped right before I made my jump. My friend Michael tried to help me, but he only fell into the depths alongside me. When I woke up, I wasn't there though, and he wasn't with me either."

"Where, exactly, did you awake?" Alice frowned, observing the younger woman with a mix of uncertainty and… guilt?

Explaining the chamber she awoke in, Mai frowned as she recalled the details. "I was in a small chamber. It had shelves with 'Bacon Soup', a table and a couple chairs. Sitting in the corner of the room was a large, marble statue that resembled the cartoon Bendy - I came to somewhere around there - and the exit was pretty much sitting opposite. A small axe was resting against the doorframe. Outside were-"

Mai broke off as Alice interrupted. "I know where you awoke." Alice's tone was laced with an emphatic sorrow. "It's not good, Mai. Not good at all."

"Just tell me what happened, Alice," impatience seeped into Mai's tone as she spoke. With the day she had, she just wanted a straight answer for once, no matter what type of answer she might get. "Please do not beat around the bush right now."

Sighing once, Alice dipped her head in acceptance. "There's no easy way to say it, so I just will. Mai, you died on your fall. I imagine before you awoke, you had a dream. A whispering tunnel of darkness - voices whispering things that sounded so close - but you just couldn't hear them. When you awoke, you had made your way to the end of the tunnel. Am I correct?"

Alice took Mai's shocked silence as answer enough. With a quiet sigh, she continued. "I don't know how it works, but there is a property of the studio. When someone dies, the ink has a way of always calling them back. Depending on the severity of the death, it may take some longer than others to return, but one fact that always stands true about death is that the ink will call you back to life at one of the marble statues of Bendy.

"But don't think death can be taken lightly, as there is always a way to return. No, death will cause your body and soul to degrade. With each death, what remains of your body and soul will be bound to the ink, and with each death, you can only ever go so far from the source.

"Eventually, death will degrade you into beings we call 'Searchers'. Searchers are entities of ink itself - there is nothing human about them any longer. They are barely able to rebuild themselves as they crawl in puddles of ink, searching for the strength to see themselves rebuilt. With their souls so far gone, many lash out at any living creature, if there is no soul strong enough to bind and direct them."

So, Mai was dead, but still alive? What was this place? How was something like this even _possible_? Worst of all, Alice said that those who die begin to be bound to the ink… "Does this mean I am bound to the studios…? Am I trapped here?"

The sorrow in Alice's eyes was answer enough. "So long as the ink machine still runs, we are all trapped, and the demon guards it above all else. Any who enter his lair are met with death. I'm sorry."

Resignation set in. To escape herself would mean to face the Ink Demon. But could she risk degrading into this Searcher to get the freedom? At least now she still had her sanity - she hoped - and her consciousness. Could she really risk that all?

After a moment, another thought came to mind. "Have you seen Michael? Or any of my friends up top? Could they still have a chance to escape alike?"

Alice remained silent for a few moments as she watched Mai in contemplation. "I'm afraid I haven't seen them, so I can't give you a straight answer Mai. But, if they have not met their first death in these halls, then perhaps there still is hope for their freedom."

Nodding once, Mai moved to stand. Solemnly, thoughts drifted through her mind about how she may never see her own escape, about how she may never see the sun again. But thoughts of saving her friends drowned out the self-pity. She had experienced so much death in the past, with her brother being killed, the accident that claimed her father's life, and the mother that was missing before she was old enough to even comprehend. She would _not_ lose anyone else. She'd rather die than see that happen.

To Mai's surprise, Alice moved to stand as well. "Let's go, then."

"You're coming?" Mai tilted her head slightly in confusion. "You should stay and watch after your friend, Alice."

Shaking her head slightly, Alice glanced to the still unconscious Tom. "He will not be found by the demon or by any other threat in these halls. I don't know what it is about this chamber, but the demon does not seem to be able to pass the way leading into the entry hall. Nor have the Searchers or Lost Ones. Only the Butcher Gang has so far shown the ability to pass through the entry hall, but they lack the intelligence needed to open the door."

Turning her attention back to Mai, she smiled half-heartedly. "Besides. I know it was not your plan, but you are now one of us, Mai. Once I thought with the mindset of self preservation, but now I see that we have to look out for one another. That is what I intend to do. So let's go."

For the first time in a while, Mai let herself smile to that. Even if this was to be her fate, at least she wasn't alone. "Thank you, Alice… Let's go."


	6. Chapter V

**Chapter V**

 _October 28th, 2018 - 1:32 PM_

 _Drip. Drip. Drip._ Mai could hear bits of ink dripping from the ceiling into the occasional puddle below. Thankfully, thus far it was the only thing she heard. She and Alice had not been traveling for long, but the older woman had warned her to not take anything for granted in these studios. Anywhere the Demon could reach was not somewhere she should consider safe.

And so they ventured out, cautious and listening for even the slightest of sounds. As they walked, they could occasionally hear a garble of voices - sounds that Alice confirmed to belong to a group known as the Butcher Gang. It took a while longer, but Mai eventually saw her first glimpse of the malformed creatures. Thankfully, however, they so far seemed oblivious to her.

Eventually, the two made their way to a division of halls that led in three different directions. Slowing, she sent a small glance to Alice - silently asking which hall they should head down. Before Alice could respond, old music started playing down the hall to the right. There were only instruments that she could hear, but strangely it would skip every for seconds.

Glancing back to Alice, Mai noticed that the older woman seemed tense. An expression she couldn't tell darted across her features as she put a finger to her lips. Silently, Alice moved to point down the hall to the left. Mai's fear met Alice's own apparent fear as the two silently made their way down the hall.

After a few minutes of travel, when the sound of the music could no longer be heard in the echoing corridor, Mai finally spoke. "Alice… What was that?"

Alice herself remained silent for a few more moments, as if trying to pick the words to describe it. "Someone I hoped never to meet again."

Mai waited for Alice to elaborate, but she only fell silent. For a split second, Mai debated about if she should really press the matter or not, but the decision was made quickly enough. "Who - or what? - exactly was it? Is it the Ink Demon?"

She was surprised to see Alice chuckle humourlessly in response. "Not quite. Once, I would have said you were close enough. But he has changed. Once the man was a songwriter. He would create music for the show of Bendy, going off what I heard in the recordings.

"When things... " Alice broke off, as if thinking for a good word. "...fell apart, the songwriter fell into madness. The Ink had claimed him, and he wanted nothing more than to become free from his prison. He would do anything for it.

"He gathered the people claimed by the Ink, Searchers and beings known as Lost Ones alike. They built their home in the caverns below, and in short formed a cult worshipping Bendy. In their shattering minds, Bendy was the only thing who could save them.

"Apparently, the man eventually met the Ink Demon, and his 'lord' granted him nothing save death. Betrayed by Bendy, it shattered his mind further than normal when he awoke. In his vision, there were only three types of beings left in the world. Himself, his people, and Bendy.

"He viewed anyone who was not a Searcher or a Lost One as the Ink Demon. He viewed them all as the master who betrayed him. And the man wanted vengeance. He went into a homicidal rage and nearly killed Henry when he ventured into the depths of the Studios. Tom struck him in the head with an axe."

Quietly, she sighed. Under her breath, Alice simply added. "I had hoped it would have been a while longer before Sammy returned…"

Frowning, Mai could see why Alice was hesitant to go that route. If this Sammy saw anyone other than his people as Bendy, who knows what would happen? Especially if he had in his possession anything like that axe that Mai herself had only a few hours earlier.

After a short pause, a thought came to mind that did nothing to ease her fear. "Alice, you said that Tom killed this Sammy with an axe to his head?" Waiting for just a brief second, Alice grunted quietly in affirmation before Mai continued. "Alright, if that's the case… Could a death by head injury make him even _less_ unstable than he already was?"

The older woman fell silent for a brief moment in thought before responding. "Possibly. I genuinely don't know. I haven't seen it happen one way or another, just yet." Mai tensed, unnerved at the possibility of another psychotic demon on the loose. As if sensing her fear, Alice continued. "I said I don't know. It may not have. I'd rather we just avoid Sammy instead of testing it, though."

"Agreed," Mai sighed as she tried to keep her mind from wandering. It wouldn't do any good to wonder about what could happen. She had to be focused on what _was_ happening.

Interrupting her thoughts, Mai grunted in surprise into Alice's palm as the older woman pushed her against the wall, hand covering her mouth - Alice's expression fearful. Almost silently, she whispered, "Be quiet."

Lifting her hand from Mai's mouth, the younger woman listened cautiously. At first, she could hear nothing, but ever so quietly, she could eventually make out the sound of humming accompanied by the sloshing sound of ink meeting ink.

After a moment, the humming stopped, as did the sloshing. The silence lasted for but a moment before being cut off in a deafening shout of rage. The sound of something wooden being smashed by something metal rang out through the halls - clash after clang, over and over again for what felt to be an eternity.

When the smashing stopped, silence prevailed throughout the halls once more, broken only by a quiet whisper mere seconds later. "Betrayer. I will find you." A clang sounded, followed by the noise of something whipping around. "There you are!"

Tensing for what she thought to be the inevitable confrontation, she was surprised a little relieved to hear the sloshing of ink making its way further and further away from them. Shooting a glance back to her right, down the hall they were heading, she noticed an inky figure in beige suspenders sprinting down a side corridor after something.

They were lucky that the figure didn't turn around. The hall he ran down was in immediate view of Alice and herself. The thought crossed her mind at how easily they would've been spotted if that happened.

Waiting a few moments for the sloshing sound to grow ever more distant, Alice eventually motioned they continue. "We're lucky Sammy found prey elsewhere," she murmured as she motioned to the remained of the Bendy cut-out, now smashed to mere splinters.

Mai couldn't help but grunt in agreement before she fell silent. She noticed a slight glint near the hall that Sammy darted down. Her first instinct was to ignore it. She and Alice had to get out of there before Sammy made his way back. Despite herself, she found herself drawn to the glinting object.

Kneeling down, she picked it up, and her heart dropped. It was a watch. Inscribed on the back were the initials 'M.R.C.' Michael Ryan Calhoun. There was only one way that Michael's watch could have ended up there. If he was standing in the hall, he would have seen Mai and Alice hiding.

Thoughts rushed back to Mai about the hours the two spent on RTS games like Warcraft III. Always fans of strategy, one of Michael's favourites was when his base was under siege and he could not fight back was to distract the enemy. If the enemy's focus was elsewhere, he could direct his warriors and workers to escape and rebuild elsewhere through the gap.

Only this time, it was no game of Warcraft III. This time, the attacker was the insane Sammy. He was trying to buy Mai some time to escape, and he was even going as far as using himself as a sacrificial distraction.

Shaking as she moved to stand, watch in hand, Mai glanced over to Alice with a grimace. "I know where Michael is... " Getting the older woman's attention, Mai pointed down the hall that Sammy had sprinted down merely a couple minutes prior. "He's being hunted."

* * *

 **A/N:**

Apologies for the delayed chapter! Unfortunately, things have been getting a tad bit hectic! Whilst I'm not the biggest fan of writing author's notes in general, wanted to give a small heads up. Although I tried to manage daily chapters, it may sadly have to go to every other day whilst I sort through some stuff off-site. That said, for anyone interested in the story, chapters are certainly still coming! They might just be a _little_ bit slower than the speed of prologue through chapter IV.

Regardless, hope everyone enjoys!

-Phoenix


	7. Chapter VI

**Chapter VI**

 _October 28th, 2018 - 2:21 PM_

"Doing that would mean death!" Alice exclaimed, her expression coated with worry. "Sammy Lawrence has gone insane. If we are to have any chance at stopping him, we need to play things smart, not rushing headfirst into the fray!"

Mai frowned. What Alice said did make some level of sense, but did they have the time to wait? "Sammy is chasing Michael as we speak! What hope does he have if he's cornered, alone? At least we would have the advantage of numbers if we have to fight him."

"And what is your plan, exactly? How do you propose we take him on, when he has already regained enough strength to do this?" The older woman gestured to the splinters of the former cut-out. "And if Sammy is back, it's possible he may have some hold over the Searchers and Lost Ones again."

Before Mai could respond to her warning, Alice closed her eyes in weariness, holding up a single hand for silence. Taking a breath to calm herself, Alice opened her eyes with intent. "Simply charging in is death. But don't mistake my caution for apathy for your friend.

"Like you said, we don't have the time to argue, so I'm going to be blunt. You do not know the horrors of this studio. We will help your friend, but you must trust me. We have to do this cautiously. Anything less will be of absolutely no help to your friend.

"Your friend shares your lack of knowledge. He isn't going to know the most efficient ways through these halls, and with Sammy's insanity, he will follow directly. I have been here for many years. I have mapped out these halls many a time, and we can use that knowledge to our advantage."

Alice paused, glancing to Mai as if assessing her. "Now, take a breath. Calm yourself. Do you trust me? Are you ready to get your friend back?"

It was difficult for Mai to calm herself. In truth, she didn't even trust her voice in responding to Alice - worry seeping into her mind. But, even if her heart disagreed, Mai's mind told her Alice was right. Perhaps they could outmaneuver Sammy if Alice could predict right. Taking a breath as Alice instructed, Mai steeled herself before glancing to the older woman, dipping her head once in a solemn nod.

"Good. Then let's go." Alice grunted, turning and starting down the hall. Mai followed closely - her gaze intent on the trail of ink leading down the hall, and Alice's own advances and movements.

After what felt to be ages, although in truth was only several minutes, Alice diverged from the trail before heading down a side staircase to the left. Mai followed in turn, thankful for her own interest in urban running and parkour when she saw Alice take some shortcuts, such as vaulting herself over the railing of the stairs and swinging down to the level below.

Some shortcuts like those could cut some time from their route - something Mai was insanely grateful for. Without having that practice though, it could sometimes have the opposite effect. What surprised Mai however was the ease in which she managed each motion. It was like she had some level of strength that was not her own. Could it have been in part due to the Ink and her first death?

Shaking it off, Mai figured that was a question for another time. For now, only one thing mattered - beating Sammy to her target. So they continued, weaving through obstacles that stood in their way and darting up and down stairs and halls. Eventually, the way opened up and Alice held up a hand for Mai to stop.

Glancing around curiously, she opened her mouth to speak, but Alice quickly silenced her with a finger to her lips. Within a few moments, the reason for Alice's call for silence came clear.

Mai could hear a faint garbled voice. It sounded like the Butcher Gang members from earlier, but it was different. They sounded in pain, and after a moment she could hear one scream in its garbled tone. It was yelling at something unseen, but before long, the voice fell into silence.

Alice couldn't help but grimaces, shaking her head with a level of pity. It left Mai with plenty a question, but she was learning enough to hold off on the questions until later, when they were away from the source of the screaming, and whatever may have caused it. Taking two fingers, Alice made a pointing motion down the hall to the right, starting down the way she directed, herself.

Mai followed as she felt more and more uneasy. She couldn't help but grimaces at the irony of the scrawled message she saw on the wall to the left. 'She has to be heartless to find her heart!' Whatever sought to enjoy the pain of others like that certainly fit well with the term heartless, that was for sure.

Pushing the thoughts away, Mai continued to follow Alice, redirecting her attention to the hunt for Sammy and Michael. After a few more minutes of travel through the winding halls of the Studios, the two found their target, and not the target she had hoped.

Mai immediately tensed as she heard a whispering voice call out. "Sheep, sheep, sheep…? Where has my sheep gone; wandering these halls without a word; hiding from one who he has forsaken…?"

In an instant, Alice and Mai both ducked for cover behind some nearby crates. Sammy's ramblings grew louder as he came closer and closer - the inky figure coming into view on one of the times Mai risked a glance around the edge of the crate. To her surprise, he was moving with a slight limp.

Quickly ducking behind the cover once more, Mai listened intently as she heard the sound of his inky boots hitting the wooden floorboards. To her surprise and unease, the sounds ceased after but a few moments - an unnerving silence filling the air around them. Mai couldn't help but grunt quietly in surprise as she noticed Alice actually glancing above the crates - a surprise that only grew as she noticed relief creep across the features of the older woman.

"Good," Alice muttered, motioning Mai to her feet. "Sammy's gone. And it looks like he's lost your friend, for now."

Much to her surprise, Sammy was nowhere in sight. At the edge of the wall in front of them was a single puddle of ink - the dark substance staining a small portion of the wall and floor around it. It was as if the insane figure just walked right into the wall and vanished!

Mai couldn't help but pause slightly, amending her thoughts. A demon walking through walls? That, to be fair, wasn't the strangest thing she saw in that day alone. Before either woman could walk forward however, Mai heard the sound of footsteps coming from the hall Sammy had moments before emerged from.

Tensing slightly, she listened intently. Thankfully, these footsteps didn't sound inky. No, they emitted a sound of actual boots on wood. They were quieter than normal, but the sound was still there. It was as if the figure was trying, unsuccessfully, to remain silent.

A thought came to mind as she saw the silhouette of a man approaching, one of the axes held limply in his hand as he slowly came into view. Could it be…?

"Michael?"


	8. Chapter VII

**Chapter VII**

 _October 28th, 2018 - 2:59 PM_

"Michael?" Mai called out, uncertain if she even should be taking a risk given the demons of this place. But she had to know.

Mai was met with silence for a brief moment. Silence, before a quiet response met her in turn. "Mai…?" Michael's voice called out as he made his way into the faint light. He looked to be injured pretty badly - his own right leg moving with a limp and his body all but scratched up and bruised. "Is it really you?"

Within a moment, Mai rushed forward to meet her friend - Alice following behind, although falling back a short bit. As the two friends rushed to embrace one another however, Alice tensed as a new sound broke the silence around their little group. _Drip. Drip. Drip._

An expression of worry crossed Alice's features as she urgently let her gaze wander, trying to find the source of the dripping. She had grown accustomed to the noises in the Studios, and there was no leak in this hall. _Drip. Drip. Drip._

The sounds increased. They grew louder. In moments, Alice knew exactly what was going on as the dripping drew closer - ink oozing out of every crack in the walls and ceilings alike. Her eyes went wide as she called out to the two friends. "Run!"

Mai whipped around, confused for a moment, before realisation hit her. Evidently, Michael also recognised the signs. Before any of them could so much as move, Mai saw the Ink Demon turn the corner that she and Alice came from merely minutes before.

The beast was just like she saw it in her earlier nightmare. It was a malformed being of ink, walking with a slight limp. It's demonic grin plastered on its features - the only thing not obscured by the flowing and oozing of the ink. Large, gloved hands lay at its side as it walked. But then the Demon noticed them.

All was silent for a moment as Alice, Mai, and Michael took off running, and then a deafening roar sounded behind them. Unlike previous times, the Demon was not walking. He was _running_ \- the limp not seeming to bother him even remotely.

Unfortunately for their group however, Michael was having a hard time running through his own limp. Although they were keeping an even pace with the Demon for now, Mai and he both knew that it would only be for so long. The Demon would catch up.

As they ran, Mai let her gaze wander. Perhaps something could at least slow the Ink Demon down, giving the group time to escape, or at the very least time to hide; but nothing came into sight. The corridor was devoid of anything they could use to slow the beast down, without giving him time to catch up.

Before Mai could react, she had a sudden flashback to her nightmare the night earlier. Within seconds, the rotten portion of the floor beneath Alice, Michael, and Mai herself gave out, causing them to fall. Thankfully for them however, it was only one floor this time.

Michael yelled out in pain as he landed on his bad leg; much to Mai's own surprise however, she felt only a brief sting of pain, but was otherwise able to be up on her feet again near instantly. Glancing to Alice as Mai moved to help Michael, she noticed that it appeared as if the older woman felt much the same as Mai herself did to the fall.

A thought crossed her mind that it was perhaps due to the Ink. As much as she hated to see her friend in pain, however, the thought did relieve her slightly. If it was due to the Ink, that meant Michael was still alive. It meant that Michael was not bound to the Ink, and could perhaps still escape!

As soon as the thought came to Mai's mind however, she pushed it aside. Whilst the thought of her friend being able to escape did help ease her mind, now was not the time for such thoughts. The Ink Demon was still on the hunt. Mai spared a glance to the level above, and to her horror, she was met with the grinning demon staring down at the three.

Horror set in her mind, but it was swiftly replaced by confusion. The Ink Demon was just standing there, staring. He wasn't moving, nor was he trying to descend to continue the hunt. Mai shot a glance to Alice in confusion. Alice, however, was already starting down the hall. With a quiet grunt to Mai, she responded to the younger woman's unasked question. "I don't know, but I'm not going to question it. Let's move."

Nodding once in agreement, she quickly helped Michael to his feet - letting him lean on her for support as the two moved to quickly follow Alice, leaving the grinning fiend behind as he watched their retreat.

For what felt to be an hour, the three traveled in near silence. For the most part, they were all simply relieved to have escaped the Demon. But alongside that relief was a nagging fear that any noise could get the attention of something they'd rather not face right now. With her friend's injuries, Mai wasn't even sure they could face any major threats whilst also protecting him, as it stood.

If they wanted to have any chance at making it, they had to find somewhere to rest - somewhere they could tend to the injuries and try to at least somewhat recover. Mai couldn't help but mentally sigh as she saw the descending stairway before them, however. With the injuries, it would not be a fun time getting Michael down those steps.

To Mai's relief however, the descent was not as tricky as she had originally feared. There were a couple close calls to a fall, but all those near falls had been averted. Before she knew it, Alice was opening the door at the bottom of the steps - a large chamber swiftly appearing in Mai's vision.

The chamber was large, standing with a balcony and a ground level for height. Ink stains dotted the wooden flooring and the staircase leading off of the balcony, but it otherwise looked devoid of all save bits of debris and garbage. A single bridge led across the chamber in its centre, opening up to a large door at the opposite end of the chamber.

To Mai's surprise, there were a few posters of Alice Angel dotting the walls, and above the doorway was a large sculpture of what appeared to be a cartoon version of Alice's head and hands. Mai was about to ask Alice if she had any ties to this room, but she noticed the older woman had abruptly stopped - her expression tense as she looked around the room, as if trying to spot something.

A quiet humming filled the air, followed by the sound of doors sliding shut and locking with a click. Mai herself tensed, having a flashback the locking door that started this whole mess. What was going on here? Almost as quickly as the humming started however, it ended with a quiet laugh.

"You again, hm…?" a voice called out. Much to Mai's surprise, it sounded like Alice herself just spoke. Unlike Alice however, the voice was filled with malice. Mai could almost feel the hate wafting off of her tone. "I thought the Demon would have pulled you back into the Ink by now, you traitor."

Alice frowned, still tense as her gaze wandered, trying to spot the source of the voice. "I didn't realise the Ink had released you, Susie. That was you earlier, 'playing' with the Butcher Gang, wasn't it?"

The voice shouted in rage as a figure leapt from the rafters of the chamber, landing on her feet. It looked like Alice, but the figure's expression twisted in rage. Her attire was more ragged, and it looked as if half of her face had rotted away.

" _Susie_ died years ago! _I'm_ Alice Angel!" Susie raged, her tone hanging on the edge of insanity itself. Almost as quickly as the tone hit, it revered into that of a cold and calculating tactician. "I was getting what I needed from them. Ever since you killed me, I needed help in rebuilding myself, and good help is so hard to find these days. As much as I loathe have to collect the hearts from those disgusting _wretches_ , what is an Angel to do?"

Alice grunted, her expression unchanging to Susie's outburst. "We both know you are no Angel, Susie." The doppelganger's expression flared in rage for a moment before Alice continued. "You will let us go, and you will do so now, or-"

Alice broke off as Susie interrupted with a laugh. "Or what? You will stab me in the back for a third time? First, you take Joey's attention, and then you dare to kill an Angel when she is dealing with her errant errand boy? No, third time will not be the charm for you, traitor.

"Besides," Susie continued, her expression warping into one of cruel delight, "why would I give up my new toys when I worked so hard to trap them in my web…?"


	9. Chapter VIII

**Chapter VIII**

 _October 28th, 2018 - 3:31 PM_

"You were behind this mess?" Michael snapped, his eyes alight with fury. Even his usually controlled tone was wavering as he stared at the malformed angel. " _You_ were the one that trapped us and started this sick game?"

Susie turned her attention only slightly towards Michael, a disapproving frown on her features. "That's no way to speak to an Angel. But yes. It was simple really. You'd be surprised what control over the Ink can do, child."

"Why?" Mai growled, her own voice laced with anger. "Why trap us here? What do you honestly have to gain from trapping a group of young adult?!"

Mai's anger only grew as Susie actually laughed. "What is an Angel to do for entertainment? It's been amusing fun, watching you rats scurrying about these halls, hiding from the Demon. It can get so dull within the depths of the Studios, having to content yourself with pitting those wretched Butchers against one another. I simply wanted some new sport, so I watched as you scouted this place out. The moment you all passed through that door, you were caught in my end.

"But, I digress. As amusing as this has been, I tire of the sport." Susie made a brushing motion with her hand, as if pushing dust away. "An Angel is not without mercy however. Collect more Inky Hearts for me, and I may consider letting you free."

Before anyone could respond, Susie turned as to Mai. Slowly, she started to walk forward, stopping only when Alice stepped between the two, her sword drawn as if waiting for Susie to strike; but the insane doppelganger only laughed. "If you complete my tasks, perhaps even your friends held below may join you in your quest for freedom, hm…?"

"You-!" Mai broke off almost as quickly as she started to speak. A loud banging sound erupted throughout the chamber, causing even Susie to start in surprise. It sounded as if all the fury in the world as slamming itself against the locked metal doorway, over and over again. Despite her growing unease, Mai couldn't help but smirk slightly as Susie hissed in frustration to the interruption.

At once, the door gave away as it actually flew off of its hinges and over the balcony, landing on some debris below. Turning her attention towards whatever had made its way through, Mai was shocked to see it was not the Ink Demon, rather _two_ figures.

One Mai nearly mistook for the Demon, as he was a Bendy. But unlike the Demon, she could easily see Bendy's entire face. Unlike the cartoons however, Bendy's face looked more than a bit weary - tired lines etched into his features. Like Alice, a rope was draped across his chest like a bandolier - holding an axe in place, strapped to his back. In his hand was a large metal pipe. What was most curious however was his name tag. It read "Henry S."

The other figure caught Mai nearly as off-guard. Not out of fear, but a bit of relief, given the state she last saw him in. Tom stood beside Henry, his mechanical fist clenched and slightly dented from the force of an impact. An axe was held in his other hand - Tom's features furious.

" _ **You?!**_ " Susie screamed, a fury that even out shined her anger at seeing Alice earlier etched across her malformed features. " _ **Why can't you just DIE?!"**_ In an instant, she sprinted to Henry, her hand twisting as it became something akin to claws.

Tom intercepted Susie, bringing his axe down as he forced her to jump back in retreat. As Alice moved to join Tom in the battle, she nodded once to Henry before glancing to Mai and Michael. "Go with Henry, we'll keep Susie busy. Free your friends - now!"

"What about you two?" Mai asked, torn. She couldn't leave her friends, but Alice had become one of those friends. She would have been claimed by the Ink numerous times if not for Alice - she couldn't just abandon her to his maniac, could she?

Alice gave a sad smile as she looked at Mai for a moment before shaking her head. "We'll meet again. Win or lose, we will make our way to our haven after this fight. For now, focus on freeing your friends. Go!"

With that, Alice sprinted off to join Tom as Henry rushed over to the two young adults. "This way." Henry's voice was quiet, as if spoken behind clenched teeth. "She keeps her toys back here."

Michael looked like he was still in shock over the entire thing, but quickly shook it off as Mai pulled him along as she followed the benevolent Bendy. He led them towards the doors that Susie was originally starting towards, back when they found her dragging the Butcher Gang member across the bridge in the centre of the chamber.

As they got close enough, Henry slammed the pipe into a small panel to the left of the doorway - causing it to slowly slide open with a sickening grind of metal on metal. If the sound was not bad enough, the sight on the other end of the door nearly made Mai recoil with disgust. Susie was a monster.

Mai watched in horror as she saw not one corpse, but dozens - Butcher Gang members and various 'Boris Clones' alike. Each corpse had its chest torn open where she assumed the heart must have been. Each corpse was, furthermore, on display - sitting on small tilted up operation tables sitting in the middle of a small lake of ink. With a sick realisation, Mai suddenly understood exactly what Susie meant when she spoke of Inky Hearts just before Henry and Tom arrived.

Noticing Mai's hesitation, Henry sighed. "I had the same reaction when I first saw this room. But now's not the time for hesitation. I don't know how long I have, and we have to get your friends." Putting a single gloved hand on each of their shoulders in reassurance, Henry turned towards a small bridge of planks crossing the lake of ink.

Although hesitant, both Mai and Michael followed. The planks didn't look too sturdy, but surprisingly they offered no trouble for Henry to cross. Nodding once to one another, Mai and Michael quickly moved to follow him across.

In a few moment's time, they made it - a single door opening into a small chamber. Within, Mai noticed the room was divided by a glass pane. On their end were only crates and barrels. On the other end sat another operation table and a separate doorway. In one swift motion from the pipe however, Henry shattered their obstacle before hurrying through.

Whilst waiting for Mai and Michael to follow, Henry quickly tied the pipe to his waist; moments after unsheathing the axe. "I've never been this far before, so be careful. I don't know what we'll find on the other side - all I know is this is where she keeps her toys."

Mai nodded slightly, tensing as Henry reached for the doorknob with his empty hand. As the door slid open, a mixture of relief and fear washed over her. Inside was a large chamber - four pillars forming an internal 'square' in the middle of the chamber. In the centre of the room was an operation table - this time layed flat. But between the pillars and the walls were dozens of metal cages.

Each cage looked barely big enough to hold a single person, let alone comfortably. She saw beings ranging from Boris Clones to Butcher Gang members - some still living, but others mere remains. In cages of their own, she saw the faces of Jack, Sara, and Kyra - their expressions set not in fear anymore, but a hopeless depression.

Jack and Sara didn't even bother to look up as the door slid across the wooden floor, but Kyra did. At first, a glint of fury was evident in her eyes. She may have given up hope, but Mai assumed she wasn't going to make things easy for Susie either. Swiftly, that anger changed to relief and joy.

"Jack, Sara!" Kyra called to them. "It's them!" The other two glanced up - their reactions confused at first, but swiftly following suit with Kyra's own reaction. In an instant however, that joy dissipated in an instant, replaced with an overwhelming fear.

Mai didn't even need to hear Kyra yell in fear to know what was happening. For a split second, a deafening silence filled the room, being broken by a single sound as ink began to ooze from all the small cracks in the walls. _Drip. Drip. Drip._

Mai's heart pounded as the roar of the Ink Demon filled the air behind Michael, herself, and Henry. They were trapped.


	10. Chapter IX

**Chapter IX**

 _October 28th, 2018 - 3:58 PM_

The three jumped into the room, scattering, as the Ink Demon charged. The walls continued oozing black ink - the screams of fear from their caged friends echoing throughout the chamber. Mai desperately let her gaze wander - looking for something they could use to free their friends and escape.

The room wasn't too big, leaving the three with little room to dodge or maneuver past the dark fiend. Going off what it seemed like, each cage was individually locked. A glint, however, caught Mai's eye.

Upon the operating table in the centre of the room was a small, golden key. Did all of the cages react to the same key, perhaps? Regardless, Mai's biggest problem was what stood between her and the key. Even if she somehow managed to make it to the key, the Ink Demon would have her.

A grim thought came to her mind as the Demon sprinted towards their cover. It looked as if all four of them were still alive. If anyone were to fall, better it be the one already bound to the Ink. At least she should have a few times before degrading, she hoped.

Maneuvering around the reach of the Demon once more, she noticed Henry moving in to strike - swinging his axe in an overhead motion down upon it. The fiend noticed, swiping a large, gloved hand at Henry and knocking the axe out of reach.

Mai watched as it slid across the wooden planks, slamming with a quiet thud into one of the pillars. Quickly glancing to Michael than the key, she was glad recognition flickered in his expression as he nodded. Leaving the key to her friend, Mai darted for the axe.

The dark fiend paused slightly as it heard the sound of Mai's sprint. Turning from its now disarmed prey, the Ink Demon was met with a pipe to its side as Henry growled quietly. "You're not winning this time!"

The Demon roared, slamming Henry into one of the nearby pillars with a backhanded slap to the chest. Hearing Henry grunt in pain to the collision, Mai slashed towards the Ink Demon's right leg with the axe. Dark ink spurted like blood from the wound as the fiend roared in a mixture of fury and pain - giving Mai a moment of satisfaction before a large, gloved hand picked her up in a chokehold.

Just like in her nightmare, Mai's vision started to fade the longer the Demon choked the life from her. This time however, it was interrupted with another roar. Having taken advantage of the fiend's averted focus, Henry had grabbed the fallen axe once more, responding with an overhead cut of his own as he severed one of the beast's gloved hands.

Dropping floor, Mai shook her head as she tried to quickly clear her vision. Dark ink ozed from the fiend's wounds, forming a puddle beneath it as the Demon charged into Henry. The two tumbled into one of the nearby cages that housed a conscious Butcher Gang member. The little demon responded by biting into Henry's leg, causing him to yell out in a mixture of pain and surprise.

Having not dropped the axe in the tackle, Mai glanced around for something she could use to help her new friend. Catching Mai by surprise however, Tom-no, not Tom. A Boris clone rushed past her. Unlike some of the others, this clone had an odd feature about it. A large bone rested in the former captive's mouth.

The Boris tackled the Ink Demon off of Henry, giving the latter time to pry the Butcher's teeth from his leg. The Demon reared back, facing the newly freed captive with another roar, but there was some level of hesitation in that roar. This time, the fiend held back for a moment, as if examining the situation.

Letting out a quiet growl, it back stepped once, twice, and disappeared into the ink of the wall behind it. Henry let out a sigh of relief, glancing to the Boris that saved him. "I didn't think I'd see you again, old friend."

The Boris simply tilted his head, not actually speaking aloud. Mai figured that may have been a trait of the Boris copies, given how Tom also never spoke aloud during the confrontation earlier. Turning her attention back to Michael, she figured she'd give the two Inky beings a few moments as she checked up on her friend.

Michael, despite his obvious fear, was doing quite a decent job at managing it. He had already freed their three friends, and was working to free the Boris clones. After a moment, he paused however before glancing to the Butcher Gang members. "Err… Should I free them, too? Seems cruel to leave them locked up, but they also did instantly attack Henry during the fight…"

Mai paused for a moment, considering, before sighing. "It's too dangerous. We only nearly managed to drive the Demon back, and we're too injured to deal with a swarm of Butchers. But, I may have an idea…

"If Susie returns, why not give her a little surprise? Right before we go to leave, drop the key into one of the cages of the Butchers. If they are sentient enough to figure out how to free their group - they can as we're leaving. If not? Well, Susie might get a few bite marks in trying to get the key back."

Mai heard Henry let out a quiet chuckle. "They're not. There are Inky creations with and without souls. The Demon is a good example of what happens with a lot of Ink and no soul. That said, Butchers are weak examples of beasts with no souls. It's the reason the Ink is shaping them so… monstrously.

"Susie herself is a good example of a mixture. She has a soul, but her soul is warped. Damaged. It is torn, fragmented, and corrupted. It left her scarred in turn - her features half soulless, whilst still half resembling a soul.

"Then you have those with Souls. After enough time, if their souls are strong enough, the Ink Machine may shape them into a likeness of a character from our old cartoons. If not, they will become one of the Lost Ones - beings made of loosely held together ink." Henry sighed quietly, what Mai assumed to be a memory of the Lost Ones going through his mind.

Mai herself couldn't help but wonder which form she would eventually take, but even worse was the thought of how her friends would react when they left without her. They all looked alive, thanks to the severity of their injuries, so that was a good thing. But she knew that they would not be happy to learn just how much of the truth Mai was keeping quiet.

Sure, she could claim they barely had a second to talk since she found any of them. She wouldn't though. They deserved as few lies as she had to tell. Surprisingly, the thought of being left alone didn't fill her with fear. No, she was more numb to the thought than anything. Maybe it was the Ink, or maybe they would grow to the same feeling in time.

Shaking it off, she mentally growled to herself. It didn't do to dwell - not now. Not ever. Right now, she had to focus on making sure they at least could see the light of day again. Glancing around, she noticed Michael having gone to check on Kyra. A small smirk played on Mai's features as she recalled his crush on her. Before they escaped, she'd have to tease him about her at least one more time.

Letting her gaze wander a bit further, she saw that the escape was still unguarded. Likewise, there was no sign of Alice or Tom either, implying the battle was still going on. They couldn't risk taking such a large group past a maniac like Susie, but staying would only leave them as sitting ducks should the worst case scenario come up and Susie ended up being victorious.

No, there had to be other ways out. She didn't think that someone like Susie would let herself ever be trapped into a corner, should someone like the Ink Demon arrive. The fact that it was just here showed that this wasn't one of the regions it could not reach. Perhaps…

Mai wandered to some of the now empty cages, starting to move a couple aside. Henry and Boris wandered over - the former's tone sounding a bit confused. "What are you doing…?"

"No sign of Susie, Alice, or Tom. Battle's probably still going, and we can't afford to take such a large group past a maniac like Susie." Mai started, her tone semi-distant as she worked on moving cage after cage. "That said, Susie doesn't seem like the kind of person to let herself be trapped, and this is certainly an area the Ink Demon can reach. She must have an escape. Checking for trap doors."

"Ah!" Henry nodded in approval. "Good thinking. I'll check the cages on the other side."

For a few more minutes, the two continued to check, moving cage after cage. No luck. Mai was just about to growl in irritation when she, however, noticed a small etching on the wall in the far corner. Each etch looked big enough to be a foothold… A makeshift ladder?

Quickly starting towards it, she glanced up. Excitement bubbled in her mind as she realised she was looking up at a trapdoor in the _ceiling_ , not the floor. "Everyone, here!" Mai called out to her group, beckoning them over.

"Oh-ho!" Jack grinned. "Time to get outta here!" Mai chuckled to his tone. Despite all of the hopelessness of the past few hours for her friends, Jack at least still had a bit of his old self in him, and she was certainly glad to hear that.

One by one, they filed up the ladder and through the trap door. The injured went first, due to the time they would need to make their way up. Should Susie make her way back here, better to have those able to fight ready for her advance.

After the injured went the Boris clones, save for the Boris that was adamantly sticking by Henry's side. Mai couldn't help a tired smile as she watched the Boris's resolve in staying beside his friend. Shaking the thoughts off, she noticed Henry motioning for to go the moment the Boris clones had finished ascending.

Dipping her head once in thanks, Mai moved to climb, but stopped midway up the ladder as she heard some crunching and shuffling. Glancing back, thoughts of Susie hunting for her 'toys' came to mind as she noticed both Henry and Boris also tense up. In but a moment however, Alice and Tom emerged from the shadows, looking tired and a bit injured themselves, but otherwise alive and well.

Mai couldn't help but let out a sigh in relief, raising a hand to wave in greetings to her new friends before moving to climb once more. If Tom and Alice were there, it could only mean good things for a change; if they were there, Mai realised, she'd also better finish climbing so Alice, Tom, Henry, and Boris could make their way up and rendezvous!

Relief etched into her thoughts, she pushed her way past the trapdoor to see her friends waiting. Moving to sit beside Michael and Kyra, Mai leaned back against the wooden wall with a sigh. Although keeping her senses alert, she couldn't help but let her eyes close slightly as she rested.

Listening out, she mentally counted as she heard one of the four pass by the trap door - opening her eyes at the last of the four to see Alice pushing her way past the wooden frame. Mai started to smile slightly in greetings, but she noticed a worried expression on the older woman's features, something that made Mai herself tense.

Quickly, Alice shut and barricaded the trapdoor - completing her latter task with a nearby crate. Turning to face the group, Mai's heart dropped to her next words. "We need to hurry. Susie escaped."


	11. Chapter X

**Chapter X**

 _October 28th, 2018 - 4:41 PM_

"We need to hurry," Alice uttered to the group, her own features wincing in pain as she spoke. "Susie escaped."

Mai's heart dropped, and by the reactions of the others, it was obvious no-one was expecting to, or wanting to hear, such new. Alice continued to speak as she ushered the group to their feet. "Even unarmed, she was fierce. She took Tom's right eye and nearly sent me into the Ink below, after giving us both injuries to last. She used the moment where Tom helped me out of that blasted pit to disappear."

Henry sighed quietly before his own features knit themselves tightly in concern. "Are you two alright, injuries aside?"

Alice nodded as she helped the now-wounded Tom along. "I'm fine, just scratched up." Shooting a subtle glance to her partner, the older woman sighed ever so quietly. "This oaf is the one who needs the worry. She took his eye and nearly took his left leg along with it."

If Tom could speak, Mai couldn't help but think with wry amusement, he would definitely be saying some 'not very nice' things back. A scowl etched its way across his own features, and he appeared to take particular offense to the 'oaf' comment, even more than to the talk of his own injuries.

Following his reaction however, silence overtook the group as they wandered the halls, trying to find an ascent. As much as Mai wished she could try and continue to lighten the mood, it was dangerous, and they all knew it. Any sound they made could attract attention, and down in the depths as she quickly learnt - that wasn't a good thing.

Occasionally as they wandered, the group heard the sounds of the Studios - ranging from innocent sounds such as the creaking of the wooden planks, to the gibberish dialogue of the wandering Butchers. When she wasn't tensed at the various sounds, Mai couldn't help but let her thoughts wander alongside her.

Despite the relatively short amount of time she had spent within the Studios, she had already come to accept the fact that she would not be leaving, as much as she may have wished she could. Perhaps it was the Ink helping to settle her mind, she couldn't help but wryly think. No, her fears fell mainly with her friends.

A single glance over showed that their own injuries were more grave than they were letting on - from the limp Michael tried to disguise when walking alongside Kyra to the wince of pain Sara showed with each and every step she made. They had already suffered so much, and still she had no idea how much more terror and pain still was ahead of them.

Likewise, with threat after threat abroad, they had yet to discuss _how_ they would escape. She doubted any of them would be able to make the jump over that hole this time with their assortment of wounds and injuries. The last thing any of them wanted was to be back into the heart of this mess.

Not only that, but with their injuries, falling again would mean death, Mai grimly thought. With their injuries, there was no way they'd be able to survive that fall. Michael surviving it once was likely done out of sheer luck, and that was when he was free of all wounds and injuries. If any of them were to die now, they would be trapped just as she was, and that was something she planned to stop.

With the fear however came some hope. There had to be more than one entry way, she realised. In the case of emergencies, the employees of such as place would need to be able to escape. Perhaps a fire escape, or even a side entrance if one was damaged or blocked. Or even locked by a maniac that calls herself an angel.

Drifting her way towards Alice and Tom's spot in the group, the three nodded quietly in greetings to one another before Mai spoke in a hushed tone. "That hole near the entryway - I don't think they'll be able to make the jump with these injuries. Do you know if there's some sort of emergency exit on the first floor? Something that might not be as… inaccessible?"

Before Alice could speak, Tom perked up, nodding once. Chuckling wryly, Alice spoke for the mute Inky being in a similarly hushed tone to Mai's own. "We don't know how, but Tom has quite the knowledge of this place. More in depth than I've had in any of my explorations.

"Once when we were mapping out the top floor, we found an escape route just past the room the employees previously used as a recreational room. It was boarded up with wooden planks, but it should be easy enough to break through them, I think."

Smiling once, Mai dipped her head in thanks. "That should work. Is it very far?"

"To be honest? If we take the stairs and if there are no further interruptions, we should manage to reach it in just about an hour." Alice responded, her own features knotted in thought as she thought back to her past exploration of the region.

Her own smile expanded into a grin. They were so close! As her own thoughts raced forward, her grin faltered slightly. They were close, yes, but that didn't mean she should get carried away. They weren't out of the woods yet, and they had three various dangerous entities on the loose that were out for blood, and all three were targeting them.

If she let her guard down, she wouldn't be surprised if luck decided turn against their group. It didn't matter if it was the insane doppelganger, the scorned songwriter, or the wounded demon - she wanted nothing to do with any of them.

For a half hour, they continued in silence, listening only to the occasional sounds of the Studios. As they opened the door that led further however, a small flood of built up ink washed through the door, nearly causing Jack to fall down the steps they had just ascended. Quickly helping to stabilise him, Mai frowned as she listened.

Silence. Mentally, she let out a sigh of relief. It seemed as if this ink was only due to a leak, and not the Demon. Although they had pushed the beast back once, she was uncertain if they could do it again. She couldn't help but idly wonder, however, where this ink was coming from.

Working their way through the stained hall, the group all paused in unison as they heard a gurgling sound. Alice drew her sword as Henry swiftly grasped his axe. Inky beings emerged from the stained floor in a gurgling cry. None of them stood at full height, instead crawling towards them with half of where their body should have been still in an inky puddle.

Alice impaled one, causing it to erupt in a burst of ink. Mai quickly realised that Alice's own ability to maneuver was limited due to the injured Tom leaning on her. Quickly rushing to Henry, the tossed her the Gent Pipe he had sheathed at his side. In a fluid motion, she grabbed it and brought it down on one of the crawlers.

Weaving her way through the crowd of her injured friends and the Boris clones, Mai was quick to join Alice in defending the rear of the group whilst Henry handled the crawlers coming in from the front. Dipping her head in gratitude as Mai took one out that was coming in from her side, the older woman grimaced slightly. "The Searchers certainly know when to come at a bad time!"

Mai couldn't help but hesitate slightly, causing her to stumble as she quickly got a hold of herself to avoid the attack from another Searcher. So these were the ones Alice had previously been talking about, back at their safe house. These were the poor souls who degraded into such a state, and her own future if she wasn't careful.

Shaking the thought off, the fight continued on as at first more and more of the Searches emerged from the Ink. Luckily for them however, as the group grew more and more tired from the continued fighting, so too did the flow of the aggressors cease. Within moments, the halls were silent of all wave the tired panting of the combatants.

"Looks like that's all of them," Alice murmured as she glanced around, hesitantly sheathing her blade. Her eyes wandered for a moment, as if checking to see if there weren't any more hiding in the shadows, before she relaxed with a quiet sigh.

Henry grunted in agreement before sheathing his own weapon. Turning, he motioned the group on. "Agreed. But let's get going before any more of those things arrive."

Whilst the group turned to continue on, no-one noticed the single, inky figure emerge from the stained wooden panels. He watched them as the wounded party traveled down the halls - wandering, wandering on. Although he had eyes no longer, if he did, they would be ablaze with fury.

He only had to wait a little longer, however, for he had bided his time well. He watched his sheep as they found the angel of the depths. He saw, truly saw, as they found his former master. He realised now that he was mistaken when he thought little ones were _Him._ No-no-no. They were not, but they had fooled him once, and so he watched, not striking.

Until now. Until the glorious finale. For it was the duty of the sheep to follow the shepherd, and follow they would. In the end, it was only fitting that the sheep should lure _Him_ to the surface once more. What was prey if not bait for the predator? What was Sammy Lawrence if not shepherd... and hunter?


	12. Chapter XI

**Chapter XI**

 _October 28th, 2018 - 5:33 PM_

They had traveled in a deafening silence. Ever since the battle with the Searchers came to an end, the wounded party had some across not a single threat. Threats were not the only thing to come to an end, however - even the very sounds of the Studios ceased. In some ways, the silence was welcome, but in other ways? It only made Mai all the more tense.

Gauging from the reactions of her friends, they were in a similar state to her - apprehension etched into the features of all. Not even the dripping of leaky ink pipes could be heard in the silence that enveloped them. Mai couldn't help but wonder if this was the silence before the storm.

She shook the thoughts off with a near silent sigh. It didn't pay to speculate. They were coming close to the side entrance Alice had spoken about. It was only seconds before that Henry had pushed open the doorway that led into what he jokingly dubbed to be the 'pub room'. Mai noticed a few tables and chairs still intact and devoid of wood rot. She wasn't sure what kept them safe from the degradation of time, but at the moment at hand, she frankly didn't care.

Excitement filled Mai's mind for her friends as they descended into the room. Upon reaching the floor, Tom and Alice split off to search the old room, the former directing the latter as she helped him along with his injuries. Within moments, they found the entryway to an old hall that had long since been boarded up.

As Mai peered through, she noticed at the far end of the hall was a doorway - in the past, the no-longer lit old sign above it would have alerted them easily to the escape route, she assumed, but now it was so well hidden with stains and dust that she only just saw it hidden above. To the left however was a descending staircase. The floor itself looked sturdy and stable however, and luckily for them, there were no gaping holes they'd have to traverse over.

Rounding back to her original party with a slight smile, she nodded once. "That's the way! So covered with dust that I could barely tell at first, but the exit sign is indeed sitting above!"

"Awesome!" Michael responded, his features for the first time in a while turned into a grin. "We can finally get out of here. I swear Mai, once we're safe, you, Kyra, Jack, Sara, and I all _need_ to just have a day to ourselves and relax after this nightmare - leaving that day for absolutely nothing!"

Mai's own smile faltered slightly. He looked so excited for something that she knew would never happen with her, at least. Being bound to this place from that one, blasted fall - she wouldn't have the luxury of joining them. As much as she _hated_ the thought of doing so, it was time. They at least owed to know why she wouldn't be following them to freedom.

"Michael…" she shook her head, sorrow etched into her features as she took a breath. "Michael, Kyra, Jack, and Sara. I have something I need to tell-"

"Quite!" Alice interrupted, her voice little more than a hiss and her features etched in worry. Irritation and anger flooded Mai's mind for a brief moment - she had to tell her friends before it was too late. She owed them that much. Before Mai could snap back, the following warning drove her back to reality. "Hide!"

The group scattered, trying to find anything they could hide behind. She could hear her own heart pounding in her chest as she slipped behind a turned table - ink oozing from the cracks in the walls as a towering, recovered figure slowly made its way up the stairs that she spotted next to their only escape merely moments prior. The flow of ink only served to increase as the beast grew ever closer. Step by step, it continued until it was standing just behind the nailed in boards.

In a sudden motion, the Demon, as she could now confirm it to be, brought a single gloved hand up and tore through all of them with a near silent growl - the snapping and splintering of the wood nearly causing Mai to release an only just contained grunt of surprise. The beast walked through the splinted remains, his head turning as it slowed to a stop just inside of the room.

For a moment, all was silent save for the ragged breathing of the beast. After a moment, there was a quiet squeak from a loose board just below the hiding place of one, she assumed, and the Demon let out a deafening roar. There was no hiding now - now, it was fight, or die.

Alice and Henry came to the same conclusion as they joined Mai in standing - all three armed with their few weapons. The Demon fell silent for a moment, its gaze wandering from Mai to Henry to Alice and back again. After a brief moment, with no warning, the beast sprinted towards Mai.

She only just had time to dodge as the inky monster plowed through the table she was hidden behind only moments before. For a split second, she considered bringing the pipe she had down upon the Ink Demon, but she swiftly pushed that thought aside as the beast recovered.

Instead, Mai quickly attempted to regroup with Alice and Henry - a motion that quickly became futile as she felt the Demon's hand collide with her back, sending her sprawling into the nearby rubble. Dazed, Mai tried to quickly get to her feet as she saw Alice slide in with strike to the Demon's right leg. Henry moved to follow up by bringing his axe down in an overhead motion to the monster's torso.

Batting Henry's axe away with the back of the beast's gloved hand, the benevolent Bendy stumbled as Alice's own strike connected with its leg. Black ink oozed from the wound as the Demon let out a roar in fury, slamming a fist into Alice's back and sending her slamming heavily into the ground.

Rather than push the assault however, the Demon froze. Without warning, its movements ceased for all save a wandering gaze, like it was trying to spot something. All of a sudden, Mai understood exactly what the beast was looking for.

Coming from the walls, Inky beings emerged. Not just one or two, but dozens of them. Searchers made up the vanguard, followed by tall, skeletally thin, inky beings with glowing orange eyes. Each of the latter beings held weapons of some sort, ranging from axes to simple pipes, and even wooden planks with nails in them. Finally, from the hall Mai's group had come from only a few minutes earlier, an enraged voice roared from the darkness of the hall. " _ **BENDY!**_ "

Sammy Lawrence sprinted out from the hall, not even bothering with the stairs and he leapt over the railing, axe in hand. Landing without fail, the enraged Sammy left no time for words as he immediately took a swing with the axe at the Ink Demon's grinning features.

Sammy ducked past a gloved fist, wildly swinging the axe until it found its mark in the Demon's back. Letting out a roar of pain and fury as black ink seeped from the wound, the masked figure went flying back with a swipe to the chest. Axe still in the beast's back, it charged at its new target, and chaos ensued.

Searchers began by swarming the Ink Demon. Despite tearing through them with unbelievable ease, more and more of the inky crawlers came for the beast. Likewise, the taller entities spit - some moved to help their master against the 'traitorous Bendy', whilst others moved in an attempt to stop Mai's group from regrouping.

Lashing out at one's legs before bringing the pipe down upon the falling entity's head, Mai had to turn away as the being practically exploded into a splash of ink. Henry, helping a winded Alice to her feet, took out two of the entities with a swing of his axe. Ever so slowly, the group retreated step by step as they fended off the relentless assault.

Regrouping with her hidden friends, Mai was relieved to see they were still alright. That relief was short lived as she saw more and more of the entities emerging from the walls however. As she fended off yet another assailant, she couldn't help but wonder just how many Sammy Lawrence had brought. Did he amass an entire army in these depths?

Shaking the fear away as the attacking entity burst, she let her gaze wander. Now wasn't the time to speculation. All she needed to do was at the very least, help cut a path deep enough through the wave of hostiles to get her friends to safety. The fact that were bunched together in the corner of the room on the side of the hall at least worked in their favour, assuming no entities could reach through the wall. Considering how they hadn't done that thus far, Mai assumed that was either impossible or they were so focused on the outward attack that they weren't thinking deeply on strategy.

"Along the wall!" Mai hissed quietly, yet urgently, to Michael. "Try to help organise the group to push our way along the wall. If we can slip down that hall, we'll be out!"

Michael was hesitant for a brief moment before shaking it off, nodding once, and setting to work on relaying the plan to the other injured and the Boris clones. Even if the latter could not escape, Mai noted, it would do well to keep together. After her friends had escaped, perhaps they all be able to make it one of the safe houses.

In moments, the group was organised and on the move. It was slow going as the entities surged forward like a wave of ink against their wounded party. Step by step however, they pushed their way through - inky entities exploding into a shower of ink upon the weapons of Mai, Alice, and Henry. Step by step, the battle raged on around them.

Finally, they made it to the hallway, but not before hearing a scream. Instinctively, Mai's vision shot over to the Ink Demon and Sammy Lawrence. In her surprise, she saw Sammy held up in a chokehold - the Demon's other gloved hand impaling Sammy's chest where his heart should be. The songwriter fell with a slump as the beast released its prey - the former entity fading into a puddle of ink as the now abandoned mask fell with a quiet splash.

The Ink Demon's gaze swerved up towards the group. With Sammy returned to the Ink once more, the control over the Searchers and the taller entities also faded as they fell deeper into a frenzy. Unfocused and undirected, they began lashing out at random - striking at the Demon, at Mai's group, and even at one another with little regard for anything.

The Ink Demon roared in fury as it tore through Searcher and entity with as little regard for them as they were showing for one another. Without another look, Mai's group rushed down the hall as quickly as they could. The beast would be upon them soon, they had to hurry! The escape was so close.

Seconds passed, and the group was upon the door. With a punch from his mechanised fist, Tom tore past the rusted metal and nearly sending the door off its hinges. Quickly, Jack and Sara rushed out and to safety, followed by Kyra. As Michael moved to follow, he took Mai's hand as if trying to lead her out with them.

Stumbling slightly in surprise, Mai started to fall towards the opened escape. As her hands touched the dirt just outside, a bolt of pain shot through her shaking form as she let out a yell . Pressure started to build up as if some invisible hand were reaching to pull her back through the doorway. Squeezing her friend's hand, sorrow and pain etched their way across Mai's features. She let go. "I'm sorry…"

Mai saw Michael whip around, confusion and terror shining in his eyes. Before he could speak, a torrent of ink fell from the ceiling as the Ink Demon closed in, blocking the escape. Trying to shake her pain, sorrow, and fear off, a cloudiness filled her thoughts as Mai rushed to her feet to follow Alice and the group down the steps.

Taking off at a run, Mai could hear the inky steps following ever so closely behind her. As seconds turned to minutes, and as the minutes drifted ever by, so too did the walls fade away into simple railings on either side of the steps, she saw a vast cavern below. A colossal building sat in middle of the inky lake hundreds on hundreds of feet below.

Below, she saw the steps filter off into a single, smaller building that reached into the rock walls surrounding the deeps. Behind her, she could still hear the inky beast mere feet away - its ragged breathing in ever pursuit of its prey. Suddenly, Mai felt a tight pressure around her, and for a moment, she wondered if it was a left over effect from her stumble outside only a short while earlier.

No longer was she running, nor even walking. Mai found herself soaring as the pressure started to fade. A side glance showed the Ink Demon standing over the staircase where she was moments earlier, a broken railing at its side. The soaring shifted into a steep fall. She only had a few moments to reflect on the irony - the irony how a fall was where it all began. With a thunderous splash, the inky lake enveloped its prey. Once more, darkness claimed Mai's vision as she sank further into the abyss.


	13. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

 _October 27th, 2038 - 12:00 AM_

There had been no investigation. By the time police had arrived to the Studios, the only trace the demons left behind were simple dark stains. There was no evidence, and no-one was willing to look further. Michael, Kyra, Jack, and Sara were rushed to the hospital following their escape, and Mai was considered to be another victim to the old house - another source for urban legends to come.

To the official reports, the situation were young adults getting up to things they should have. Perhaps they were drinking, and maybe a Halloween adventure went wrong. Despite the disappearance of Mai Daviau, the four were never charged for any crime, not even for trespassing.

Despite days passing by, the four survivors bore scars of their own. Nightmares haunted their minds of the demons hiding in the heart of the ruined Studios. At night, their minds often associated the sounds of the wind and rain as the beast approaching. All knew that the scars would with them for the rest of their days; a lasting reminder of foolish mistakes and the arrogant thoughts of how nothing could hurt them. How wrong they were.

Every year after, they gathered in the courtyard of the Studios - the heart of their terrors and fear. They never entered. To be entirely fair, none knew if they could enter. None knew if they had the will to risk repeating history.

For twenty years, they continued this cycle. They would gather to face their fears, never to cross. They would gather to mourn a lost friend, and the mistakes of days long past. Despite the sorrow, these days were one of the things she enjoyed most. They were the closest she ever got to her friends.

This year marked a change. This year, Jack and Sara were not among the group, leaving only Michael and Kyra. She could see the engagement rings from vantage in the window. It was faint, but her eyes had become so much more than they once were. She couldn't help but smile, glad for her oldest friend, although she still wondered about the other two.

Then he looked up. Blue eyes met eyes that were once brown, now faded to grey. She tensed as recognition etched its way across Michael's features. Kyra followed her fiancé's gaze. She saw Kyra's own features morph into surprise.

'A-Alice…?' she read Kyra's lips from her vantage. A bit of disappointment tinged her mind. She was not ashamed that her appearance resembled her mentor's and friend's. It had ever since the day she awoke in the capsule within the colossal building surrounded by the ink. Ink poured down from the machine above, aiding in forming her into what she was destined to be.

They had rescued her. She was surprised, confused at first. They had escaped quickly. She remembered Alice's worried expression and her part of her words. The Ink Demon was near. They were in the lair of the beast and had to escape.

Over the following weeks, memories swished around like water in the turbulent sea. At first, she remembered only faint traces of her past, but over the twenty years that passed, she remembered more and more. Watching her friends from afar aided in that process, as did the help from Alice, Tom, and Henry - when the latter was in a lucid state, rather than being trapped within his own past.

The disappointment she felt at not being recognised for herself started to fade as she read Michael's lips. 'No... Mai!' Kyra's eyes widened in shock. Mai smiled sadly in greetings to her old friends, but the smile swiftly fell as she saw them running. Not running away, but running towards the place of their fears and nightmares. Running towards the place that haunted them for twenty years.

Worry etched its way across Mai's features as fear followed in hand. "No… No, no, no-no-no-no!" Turning, she sprinted out of the room. If they entered, they would be at risk once more - didn't they realise that? If they entered, she wasn't sure they could be protected! "Alice! Tom!"

Before Alice could respond or Tom could appear, Mai heard a single, terrifying sound coming from the floor below. It was a sound she never wanted to hear again. It was the single sound that signaled the start of their nightmares, and of the trouble to come. The door below creaked open once more.

* * *

 **A/N**

And with that, the conclusion of It Flows Ever On! Thank you so much to everyone who had left reviews, who had given me some feedback via PMs, or even just enjoyed the story! As the epilogue hinted, there will be a sequel down the line. Already have quite a few ideas jumping around to play with, hah! That said, it may be a little while yet, as there were a couple other stories I've also been eager to play around with for a while yet, starting with a story from the Miraculous Ladybug universe to hopefully come next!

Regardless, I hope you've enjoyed!

-Phoenix/Atoxkal


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